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Hi,
I am in the process of choosing a milling machine for hobby use.
Mainly milling aluminium, and occasional mild steel.
I intend to convert it to CNC in the future.
Part of the reason for wanting to do this is to have a useful tool, much of the reason is the learning exercise.

Space in my garage is limited so I am only looking at small bench top machines.
I do not have the knowledge to take a gamble on a second hand old Ebay purchase.
I have a few under consideration: Sieg SX2.7, Sieg SX3, Warco Major and Axminster ZX30M.
Are there others I should be looking at in this size & price range?

Out of the ones listed...
Which would be the easiest to convert to CNC?
Realistically, what level of accuracy can I expect to achieve for a reasonable price?

The SX2.7 is probably the favorite at the moment.
Would this be a good choice?

I think he means that they can be back driven more easily from the cutting forces. Or for the Z axis may tend to drop under their own weight.
I think lead screws would be most likely be fitted over ballscrews on a manual machine just due to cost.

Yes avoid the round column as you loose position when adjusting in Z.

Iíve not looked at the sx2.7 but wm16 or 18 are top of my list should I get a mill as they look well made (and would match all the Warco stuff I have!)

I have never looked properly at the Warco range.
The GH universal is too big for the space I have available, but the WM16 and 18 may be an option.
I think Warco exhibit at the Midlands Model Engineer Exhibition. I will go and have a look at their lathes then.

Thanks Simon for the offer. I will remember that when nearer the time to start. It could be very helpful.

There's a European supplier who will supply their machines already fitted with ballscrews (and I think steppers/servos), but I can't remember their name.
IIRC they were based in Austria, but it's been a few years since I looked at their website.

Avoiding the rubbish customer service from AluminiumWarehouse since July '13.